The Story of the Stewards
by Shadowblade217
Summary: Malcolm and Joshua Stuart were honored to serve as the stewards to the newest generation of Princes. For a long time, the brothers were perfectly content with their place in life, not desiring anything more. But when a Festival is called, and the Princes become obsessed with two mysterious maidens, the Stuart brothers' comfortable lives are thrown completely off-balance.
1. A Noble Profession

**Disclaimer: I do not own Into the Woods.**

_**The Story of the Stewards**_

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**Chapter 1 – A Noble Profession**

Malcolm Stuart sometimes hated his life.

It wasn't that he had a bad life; far from it. He lived in a large, comfortable home in the village, as his parents were quite wealthy and could afford some luxuries.

No, what bothered Malcolm was that it seemed like his entire life had been planned for him, ever since he had been born. He would be expected to follow in his father's footsteps, just as every man in his family had for generations.

He would be expected, naturally, to become the steward to one of the royal Princes.

That was the tradition among the Stuart family; serving the royal family. As one might be imagined, considering their last name, it had become something of a joke; "the Stuart stewards" and things of that sort. Malcolm had always disliked that nickname, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

Malcolm and his younger brother, Joshua, had been trained in the methods of being a steward by their father, Robert, since they had each turned thirteen. Endless hours of learning the finer points of etiquette, how to behave while in the presence of royalty, and a thousand other useful things that would help them in their duties. Malcolm's head often ached from trying to remember it all.

Then, at last, the fateful day came.

Malcolm was eighteen now, and the time had come for him to go to the palace and begin his duties. The older of the two Princes, Prince Philip, had come of age, and a Festival had been proclaimed to celebrate the occasion. It was the perfect time for the Prince to meet his newly appointed Steward.

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As Malcolm and his family arrived at the royal palace, Malcolm's eyes widened in amazement. He had only been to the palace a couple of times before, and it was an incredible sight.

Malcolm and Joshua followed their parents through the huge front doors, looking around eagerly as they tried to see everything they possibly could, all at once.

The family arrived at the grand ballroom, where the King was presenting his son to the guests.

"I am proud to present to you," the King announced with a smile, "my eldest son, Prince Philip! May his days be long and prosperous, and – someday, when my years have run their limit – may he be a wiser King than his father." He chuckled at his own joke, as the guests laughed and applauded in delight.

Philip knelt before his father, his head inclined in respect. "Thank you, Father," he began, "for everything you've taught me. May your reign continue for many happy years."

The crowd erupted in cheers as Philip rose to his feet, stepping back. The King rose, spreading his arms wide. "Let the Festival begin!" he called out.

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Malcolm and Joshua hadn't attended a Festival since they were very young, and Malcolm found himself loving every moment of it. The beautiful decorations, the music, the food… everything was incredible.

For an eighteen-year-old boy from the village, even one who had spent the past five years learning all about palace life, this was somewhat overwhelming.

Malcolm and Joshua found themselves dancing with some of the girls from their village during the ball. Malcolm had never really danced before that occasion, but he found it to be surprisingly easy once he'd gotten the hang of it.

It seemed like the evening would never end, but inevitably the festivities wound down and the guests began to leave.

"It's time," Robert Stuart said with a smile, briskly leading the two young men back into the ballroom. The King and the two Princes – Philip, and his younger brother Florian – were waiting for them.

"So these are the lads, Robert?" the King inquired, examining Malcolm and Joshua.

"Indeed they are, sir," Robert replied, bowing before the royal family. Malcolm and Joshua bowed as well.

"You may rise," the King said, smiling in a friendly way. "Now, which of these fine gentlemen is to be Philip's new steward?"

"This one," Robert answered, placing a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "My eldest son, Malcolm. He's young, yes, the same age as Prince Philip, but he's been well-trained in the finer points of palace etiquette since he was thirteen. He'll make a fine steward for the Prince."

The King beamed at Malcolm. "Then, by all means, step forward, young man." Turning to Philip, he continued, "My son, this lad is to be your new steward. He will serve you as his father does me. If his parentage is anything to go by, he'll do well."

Malcolm nodded, stepping forward to face the Prince and the King and inclining his head in respect. "It's an honor to meet you, sir," he said, bowing. "I'm Malcolm Stuart. At your service."

"Indeed," Prince Philip said, smiling as he shook Malcolm's hand. "I suppose you are."

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_AN: Hello, everyone, and welcome to my newest story, The Story of the Stewards! I was inspired to write this story because I'm playing the Steward to Cinderella's Prince in a production of Into the Woods at my high school, so I got curious as to what a retelling of the play from the Steward's perspective would be like. This story will cover the entire storyline of the play, and I may continue it after the end of the play if I get inspired._

_Just to clarify, Malcolm is the Steward to Cinderella's Prince (the familiar character from the play, who was known simply as "the Steward"). His younger brother Joshua is the Steward to Rapunzel's Prince; that character isn't in the original version, but he was included in the version that I'll be acting in, so I decided to add him. I came up with their names just because they seemed to work with the characters; the last name "Stuart", as I explained in this chapter, speaks for itself._

_Prince Philip, obviously, is Cinderella's Prince, while Prince Florian is Rapunzel's Prince. People would probably get confused about that, since neither of the Princes actually have names in the play, but I took the names from the corresponding characters in the Disney movies, based on who the Princes eventually end up with (Philip is the name of the Prince from Sleeping Beauty, while Florian is the name of the Prince from Snow White). Plus, those names just sounded appropriate for the Princes._

_Sorry if this chapter seemed too short, but I needed this as a way to introduce the characters and set the story in motion. We'll be getting into the actual start of the play next chapter, so stay tuned!_

_I tremendously appreciate comments and feedback, so if you have any questions about this chapter, the characters and the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please)._

_See you next time!_


	2. A Royal Proclamation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Into the Woods.**

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**Chapter 2 – A Royal Proclamation**

For the next few years, Malcolm and Joshua's lives continued in an orderly fashion. Malcolm settled into his duties at the palace, and became well acquainted with Prince Philip. It didn't take him particularly long to figure out that the Prince was, despite his good looks and charm, not particularly friendly when it came to the servants. Although he and Malcolm got along fairly well, Malcolm had to make every effort he could to keep Philip satisfied and content, lest the Prince turn his ire upon his steward.

Joshua, after two years, joined his brother in the palace, appointed as the steward to Prince Florian. The younger Stuart brother soon found that, while Florian was generally more pleasant company than Prince Philip, the younger prince was often a bit… _lacking_ when it came to matters of short-term memory. Florian often had difficulty remembering things, such as his reason for visiting someone, until he was reminded. So that became Joshua's usual job; to serve as a living calendar, of sorts, for the Prince, to help him keep track of his schedule.

Malcolm, meanwhile, had his own problems to deal with. Philip's exploits among the young women of the kingdom were of the sort that should not be discussed among the best circles of society; as a matter of fact, Florian (as his brother), and Malcolm (as his steward), were often the only ones who had knowledge of them. Philip's problem was that he sometimes took his womanizing tendencies to excess. He got whatever he wanted; that was usually a given factor when dealing with him, but it presented a problem when you were talking about women. If he encountered an attractive woman in the woods while on his way to town, for example, it was only a matter of time until he attempted to seduce them. And, since he was nearly always successful, Malcolm would always have to go some ways away and try his damnedest not to think about what must be going on.

Florian also sometimes had incidents like this, but not to the same extent as his brother. As a result, Joshua had a much easier time dealing with the younger Prince.

In general, the Stuart brothers couldn't really complain about their positions in life. They'd gotten what they had always been dreaming of; the positions that their family had held for generations. It was an honor, and they treated it as such. They served the Princes loyally, and did their utmost to help them preserve the kingdom.

And, in this fashion, five years wore away.

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Malcolm woke early, with the sunrise, as he always did. Walking out to the balcony, he leaned on the cold stone railing, watching as the sun rose over the dense woods to the east. This was his daily ritual; it helped him to calm and prepare himself for the busy day that undoubtedly lay ahead of him.

Malcolm was no longer the skinny boy who had left the village for the palace. Instead, he had grown into a tall, muscular, well-developed young man. With curly brown hair, clear blue eyes, and a lean, handsome face with prominent cheekbones, he was fairly attractive, or so he'd been told (although nobody looked at him when he stood next to Prince Philip). He wore his usual attire: a long green velvet shirt, reaching down to his knees; baggy blue pants that only extended to his upper calves; white, knee-length socks; black court shoes with golden buckles; a green velvet sash tied around his waist, to keep his shirt in order; a short, gold-and-black ceremonial cloak that covered his left shoulder and arm; and a green velvet hat with two large feathers in it, one orange and the other black.

"_I wish…_" he murmured to himself, as he watched the sun's golden light illuminate his surroundings.

"_More than anything…_"

What _did_ he wish? Did he wish that his life had been different? That he had not been born into this position?

"_More than life…_"

No. No, this life was all he had ever wanted as a child. He couldn't ask for anything more.

"_More than riches…_"

Well… there _was_ one thing he wished.

"_I wish I could get some respect…_"

He wished that Prince Philip would respect him. Treat him as a friend, not as a worthless servant. Nothing more, nothing less.

Just respect.

"_I wish he'd treat me as a friend…_"

Oh, who was he kidding? That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. If there was one thing Prince Philip lacked, it was respect for those of a lower station than his own. The only people the Prince truly respected were his father, his mother, and Florian.

Then again, Malcolm sometimes had difficulties relating to commoners as well, after all the time he had spent in the palace (not to mention his upbringing).

Still, there was no denying that wishing for respect from Prince Philip was something that was highly unlikely ever to occur.

But nevertheless…

"_I wish…_"

Malcolm was broken from his reverie by the sounds of voices coming from the lower levels of the palace. Frowning, he leaned over the edge of the balcony, looking down to the lower windows and listening to the increasing hubbub.

"Have you heard the news?" a familiar voice called from behind him.

Malcolm turned in surprise, to see Joshua standing behind him. His brother was a few inches shorter than him, with tousled dark hair and an irrepressible grin. He was also wearing his courtly clothes; they were virtually identical to Malcolm's, except that his hat, shirt and sash were red instead of green, and his hat bore no feathers.

"Ah, good morning, brother. What news?" Malcolm inquired curiously.

Joshua grinned. "I just heard important news from one of the kitchen workers!" he exclaimed. "The King has proclaimed a Festival, to be held in one week's time!"

An excited smile burst across Malcolm's face. "Excellent!" he said. "It's been a long time since the last Festival."

"Indeed!" Joshua laughed. "I can hardly wait!" Turning, he started back into the palace. "I should go; Prince Florian wishes me to accompany him into the Woods today."

"The Woods?" Malcolm questioned, frowning in puzzlement. "Why the Woods? That's not the sort of place Prince Florian typically frequents."

"From what I gather, there's something there that he wants me to see," Joshua explained. "I must hurry; he does not like to be delayed."

Malcolm nodded, and inclined his head in a gesture meant to signify respect. "Godspeed to you, good brother."

"And to you," Joshua returned, repeating the gesture. He turned and disappeared back through the doorway, into the palace.

Malcolm turned back to face the sunrise, considering what he had just learned.

"A Festival, you say…"

He smiled. _This could be interesting. At the very least, it's better than sitting around here all day catering to the Princes' every need._

"_I wish to go to the Festival…_"

Turning, Malcolm strode back into the palace, a triumphant smile on his face.

"_The time has come for a Festival,  
We're overdue for a Festival,  
I wish to go to the Festival,  
And now my time is near!_"

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_AN: And here we are again. Hopefully everyone likes how this story is going so far. As you guys can probably tell, we've gotten into the start of the actual play in this chapter._

_Hopefully, everyone liked the brief descriptions of the two Princes and their varying personalities; I hope I did a decent job of setting up their characters. If anyone has any suggestions or comments about things I included (or maybe forgot to include), let me know!_

_As always, I appreciate comments and feedback on my work, so if anyone has any questions or comments about this chapter, the characters, or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please)._

_Next chapter, we meet up with Joshua and Florian, and find out why Florian wanted to go into the Woods, while Malcolm and Philip prepare for the Festival… stay tuned!_

_See you all next time!_


	3. The Maiden in the Tower

**Disclaimer: I do not own Into the Woods.**

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**Chapter 3 – The Maiden in the Tower**

Joshua Stuart made his way down to the entrance of the palace to meet with Prince Florian. The excitement over the impending Festival was infectious, and people throughout the palace were spreading the news and carrying out tasks to prepare the palace for the celebration.

Florian was waiting at the front doors of the palace, in his usual attire: a blue dress jacket, adorned with various medals and with golden epaulettes on each shoulder; a red and blue sash that ran over his left shoulder, down to his right hip, and then circled around over his back to his shoulder again; dark blue pants, and black, knee-high leather boots. He wore a sword in a sheath at his waist, as was customary whenever one was going into the Woods.

"Ah, Joshua," he said with a smile of greeting. "Come; we must be quick if we're to be back to the palace before lunch."

"Indeed, sir," Joshua replied, bowing.

They made their way down the grand staircase in front of the palace, crossed the path that led to the village, and then veered off the path, into the Woods.

Joshua typically didn't make a habit of spending too much time in the Woods; they were not the place for someone who couldn't navigate them. It was extremely easy to get lost in them.

Florian, fortunately, seemed to know exactly where he was going; he led the way swiftly, and without hesitation. After they'd gone about a hundred yards, Joshua realized how he'd found his way; the Prince, showing unusual foresight, had cut clearly visible, arrow-shaped notches into the bark of the trees with his sword, to mark a trail.

Brushing aside the ferns, Florian continued along his way, constantly glancing from tree to tree in search of the notches he'd left. Whenever he found one, he proceeded in the direction its arrow pointed.

Whenever Joshua asked where they were going, the Prince waved him off, giving a noncommittal answer or else simply assuring him, "You shall see." The fact that Florian knew the way was definitely reassuring, but Joshua would still have liked to know why they were there to begin with. The Woods were not a safe place to wander about in, even while armed.

After what seemed like hours of walking, Florian suddenly stopped. He held up a hand, signaling to Joshua. "Wait!" he said. "Listen."

_Listen?_ Joshua wondered, but he did what he was told and stopped walking. The Woods seemed to be filled with sounds – birds chirping, leaves rustling, and insects buzzing – but none of those sounds seemed like it would particularly interest Florian.

Joshua tapped Florian on the shoulder, looking at him quizzically.

"_Listen,_" Florian repeated softly.

This still didn't make sense, but Joshua obeyed. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply and taking in all of the sounds that surrounded him.

And _then_ he heard it.

Singing. Somewhere nearby, someone was singing.

Joshua turned to Florian, his eyes wide in surprise. "Who is that?"

"Come with me," Florian said. "I will show you." He took off, darting through the woods at a much greater speed than before, as if that singing were drawing him in like a magnet. Joshua was hard-pressed to keep up with him.

Finally, Florian came to a halt next to a huge tree. Joshua skidded to a halt directly behind him, gasping for breath.

Directly ahead of them, only about a hundred yards ahead, was a huge, cylindrical tower, its exterior made from bricks. There were no doors or stairs visible; the only visible way into the tower was a large window near the top, at least a hundred feet above the ground. It was from that window that the singing issued.

"Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah…"

Now that he could hear it more clearly, Joshua could clearly understand why Florian had been so determined to show it to him. Although there were no words to this song, the singer's voice was so wondrous that words were not needed. The voice – most likely that of a young woman – perfectly hit every note. Clearly, this was a gifted and talented singer.

Joshua was fascinated, but one glance at Florian showed that his interest was nothing compared to that of the Prince. Florian was _captivated_. His eyes were fixed on the window, an expression of wonder upon his face. He smiled, the expression like nothing Joshua had ever seen from him before.

"Is she not extraordinary?" he murmured under his breath.

"Indeed, sir," Joshua replied quietly.

Florian's smile never wavered. "I must meet her in person, my friend. I must see her face to face."

"How are you to get up there, though?" Joshua asked. "Is there an entrance on the other side of the tower?"

Florian's smile faded; ruefully, he shook his head. "No, there is no entrance. I have been around the tower a hundred times, but the only entrances are those windows, at the very top."

"Then… how did she get in there?" Joshua muttered speculatively. "There must be a way in, if she was able to enter. If she could enter, so can you; it is simply a matter of finding the right method."

Florian nodded decisively. "You're right; there has to be a way. I cannot allow this maiden to escape my reach; if there is a way to reach the top of this tower, and bring her back to the palace with me, I will find it."

"Very well, sir," Joshua said. "May I ask you a question, though?"

"Ask away."

"What is her name?"

At that, Florian paused. "I do not know," he confessed. "I discovered this tower a fortnight ago, and have since visited at least half a dozen times. But never have I seen the girl, nor spoken with her. If she would only lean out of the window!"

"Well, someone else must live there," Joshua reasoned. "What maiden would live alone in the Woods? She must have a caretaker of some sort, to bring her food; all we need do to see her is to wait until that caretaker returns, and we will learn both her name and the way into the tower when the caretaker calls up to her."

"An excellent plan!" Florian enthused. "We shall wait for this caretaker to return. And when they do, they will show us the girl, her name, and the way into the tower." He nodded in satisfaction.

Joshua sighed. One of the drawbacks of working for Florian was that he tended to take people's suggestions and adopt them as his own ideas immediately after hearing them. It got a bit irritating to deal with after a while.

"We should return to the castle, sir," he reminded Florian, after they'd waited for another few minutes, listening to the girl's continued song from the high window. "Your brother and father will notice your absence soon, and you will be needed to help prepare for the Festival."

After considering briefly, Florian nodded in agreement.

"Come along, then," he ordered. "As much as I would love to stay, we must return to the castle, to prepare for the Festival."

Nodding, Joshua followed him off through the Woods, trying to ignore his growing irritation at the Prince's casual adoption of his suggestions.

_Let's hope this maiden is more than just a pretty voice, or she'll just be a distraction for him. Especially with a Festival on the way, the last thing anyone needs is for one of the Princes to be off chasing a girl around the Woods._

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_AN: And here we are again. Wow, two chapters in two days; I guess I got inspired. I'll have the next chapter posted as soon as I can finish it!_

_I hope everyone enjoyed our first insight into Joshua's character; his interactions with Florian (aka Rapunzel's Prince) are very fun to write, because they can easily play off each other in a comedic way. So, expect quite a bit more of that._

_As always, I appreciate feedback on my work, so if anyone has any questions or comments about this chapter, the characters, or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please)._

_Next chapter, the Festival gets underway, and Malcolm is taken aback by a surprise guest's arrival… stay tuned!_

_See you all next time!_


	4. The Maiden in the Ball Gown

**Disclaimer: I do not own Into the Woods.**

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**Chapter 4 – The Maiden in the Ball Gown**

_One week later…_

Malcolm made his way down to the palace entrance with a smile on his face. It was the evening of the Festival, and the palace staff had spent the past week frantically working to ensure that everything was prepared and ready.

The palace was even more beautiful than it had been on the evening when Malcolm had first taken up residence there. That made sense, considering that this Festival was a special one; it would last for a full three days. Lanterns and wall-mounted torches illuminated everything, rendering the front steps of the palace almost as brightly lit as they would have been in daylight.

Philip and Florian stood on the dais, flanking their father, the King. Malcolm and Joshua stood at attention, each beside his designated Prince. All four were dressed in their finest ceremonial clothing. Florian wore his usual dark blue dress jacket and pants, with various medals, golden epaulettes on the jacket's shoulders, a red-and-blue sash, and black, knee-high leather boots; Philip's outfit, on the other hand, was virtually identical to his brother's, except that his jacket was tan instead of blue, and his sash was red with gold trim.

The King rose to his feet, smiling, and raised his hands, spreading his arms and immediately gaining the attention of his guests. "Let the Festival begin!" he called.

The crowd cheered, and the celebration began.

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Malcolm and Joshua were determined to enjoy themselves, as Festivals were among the only nights of the year when they didn't have to obey the Princes' every whim.

As a result, the two Stuart brothers soon found themselves dancing with a couple of fairly attractive girls from the village. What the girls lacked in appearance, they made up for in dancing skills, so Malcolm had no problems with them; however, they did get tired of dancing after a while, and moved on to seek other entertainment.

The King retired after announcing the Festival; he'd never been one for dancing. His sons, however, were enjoying themselves just as much as their stewards.

Joshua, to Malcolm's surprise, disappeared shortly into the evening. He had no idea where his brother could have gone, although he did notice that Florian had vanished as well.

_Where could they have gone?_ he wondered. _I can't imagine Prince Florian missing the Festival unless it was for a very good reason. And why would he have taken Joshua with him?_

After about an hour, Malcolm found himself standing in a corner by the bar, idly sipping a drink. He was chuckling at the sight of two blond-haired young women – one wearing a pleated, lavender dress, the other wearing a dress with black, purple and green stripes – trying, unsuccessfully, to track down and dance with Prince Philip. The Prince, for his part, was doing a remarkably good job of evading them without actually leaving the ballroom, so he could continue to interact with the rest of his guests.

Deciding to take a break from the deafening rush of voices and music filling the ballroom, Malcolm finished his drink, set down the glass, and began making his way through the crowd towards the exit. He'd only made it about halfway across the room when he was brought to a halt by the sound of trumpets, coming from outside the room, in the direction of the palace's front gates.

All eyes turned to the ballroom's entrance, and a chorus of murmurs began to spread through the guests and palace staff. Malcolm tried to see what was going on, but he couldn't see over the heads of the people in front of him.

Pushing forwards through the crowd, Malcolm fought his way towards the entrance, trying to make a gap in the mass of guests so that he could get a look at whatever had drawn people's attention.

And then the crowd finally parted, and Malcolm's eyes widened in shock and amazement.

Standing in the entrance of the ballroom was the most beautiful woman Malcolm had ever seen.

Her dark brown hair was tucked into neat curls, perfectly framing her lovely face, rosy cheeks and slender neck. She wore a magnificent golden ball gown that shone and glittered in the candlelight. Her deep brown eyes flicked from side to side, nervously taking in the stunned crowd.

If a word could be used to describe her, to capture the essence of her appearance, it would be _perfection_.

Now the trumpets made sense; even if no one had been expecting this woman to be here, there could be no doubt that she deserved nothing but the best introduction.

Malcolm had never seen something like this before. No other woman he'd seen in his entire life even came close – and this was coming from a man who had been to at least a dozen of these Festivals in his time at the palace. He knew the entire royal court, all of the most famous and beautiful guests who frequented the King's company. But he had never seen this woman before.

Malcolm was dimly aware that he was staring at the girl like a slack-jawed idiot, but he couldn't help himself. Her beauty was captivating; it drew him in. His heart beat faster, and his breathing quickened.

Malcolm shook his head, coming back to himself. He started making his way forward, edging his way through the crowd. At the very least, he reasoned, someone ought to extend a formal greeting to the woman, welcoming her to the Festival.

Before Malcolm could reach the girl, however, the thing he'd expected – and had secretly been dreading – occurred.

Prince Philip, of course, had taken notice of the girl as well; from the moment she'd entered the room, his eyes had most likely been locked upon her. As Malcolm pushed through the crowd towards the maiden in the gold ball gown, Philip emerged from amid the guests and approached her. He looked like he was just as captivated as Malcolm felt, if not more so.

"My fair lady," he said, taking the girl's hand and bowing to kiss it, "allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Festival."

The girl seemed awestruck; clearly, she recognized him. "Thank you," she murmured. Her voice was every bit as lovely as her beauty would have suggested.

Philip wasted no time. "Would you care to dance, my lady?" he asked courteously.

She nodded, a faint smile coming to her face, as if she couldn't quite believe this was really happening.

Philip mirrored her smile with his own, taking her hand and leading her onto the dance floor. The crowd parted before them like water. Philip gestured to the orchestra, and the music resumed.

As Philip and the maiden in the ball gown began to dance, twirling elegantly beneath the lights of the ballroom's grand chandelier, Malcolm looked on, feeling a sensation like a burning coal in his stomach. For an instant, he felt completely enraged, his hands clenching uselessly into white-knuckled fists; then he just felt sick.

Perhaps it was simply the reminder that he would always – _always_ – fall short of a woman's expectations. What was he compared to a Prince? Philip was powerful, rich, elegant, handsome, charming… what was Malcolm? What could he offer, compared with that, that could hold any maiden's interest, much less one such as this girl?

Malcolm turned, his head bowed, and walked back to the bar in one corner of the ballroom. Sipping from another glass of wine, he tried his utmost not to look in the girl's direction, fearful of once again feeling like his guts were being wrenched by an invisible hook.

But, as hard as he tried, he could not look away from her.

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_AN: And here we are again. I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, especially Cinderella's entrance! Malcolm's reaction to Cinderella may surprise some people, but, since Sondheim never included this particular scene in the actual play, I decided to make things more interesting. Feel free to let me know how you guys felt about it!_

_Just in case anyone was wondering; yes, the girls I mentioned with the lavender and striped dresses were Florinda and Lucinda, Cinderella's stepsisters. I know in most versions the dresses are mauve and pink, but in the production I was in, the girls playing the stepsisters wore dresses with these colors, so those are the ones I chose for them here._

_Shoutout to Qwert Poiuy for reviewing, I really appreciate the feedback! :)_

_Next chapter, we find out where Joshua and Florian have disappeared to, as they continue their plan to find out more about the maiden in the tower… stay tuned!_

_As always, I tremendously appreciate getting comments and feedback on my work, so if anyone has a comment or question regarding this chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please)._

_See you all next time!_

_Review Q&amp;A:_

_**Q:** I really adore this story! The personalities of the princes are spot on, and I love the addition of steward to Rapunzel's Prince. I have nothing but nice things to say about it!_

_**A:** Thanks, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! :)_


	5. Rapunzel

**Disclaimer: I do not own Into the Woods.**

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**Chapter 5 – Rapunzel**

Joshua and Florian trudged through the dark forest, glancing about warily. Joshua carried a dark lantern to light their path, allowing them to see the notches Florian had carved into the trees.

The pair had slipped away after about an hour of the Festival had passed, driven by Florian's desire to make another visit to the tower. Joshua, of course, had agreed to accompany him.

It took them considerably longer to find their way to the tower at night than it did in daylight; the Woods were not an easy area to navigate at the best of times, and the darkness wasn't helping.

Finally, the two young men stopped in their tracks, Florian holding up a hand for silence. In the dark, they could hear it; the familiar voice, echoing through the trees, as the maiden sang.

Florian smiled, his eyes lighting up in joy, and hurried forward, with Joshua right behind him.

Before they could get near the tower, however, Joshua caught a glimpse of something, out of the corner of his eye. Immediately, he grasped Florian's arm, pulling the Prince to a halt.

Florian whirled on him, his eyes wide in surprise. "What?" he hissed.

Joshua lifted a finger to his lips, indicating to be silent, and closed the shutters on the dark lantern, hiding the light. Pulling Florian behind a large tree, he carefully leaned out, shrinking back almost immediately. Florian also leaned forward to look, his eyes widening as he saw the cause of Joshua's concern.

Walking through the glade ahead of them was a figure, concealed by a dark cloak and hood. The figure walked with a hunched gait, and leaned on a gnarled wooden staff.

Normally, Joshua wouldn't have bothered to hide from a commoner, even in the Woods at night; but this person seemed ominously familiar.

And, now that he was paying closer attention, he realized where he knew this one from.

The person in front of him was something of a legend in the village near the castle. She was a witch – a powerful and dangerous one, at that, if the stories about her were true. The staff, the cloak and hood, and the unusual gait had confirmed it.

Florian and Joshua watched nervously from behind the tree as the witch passed by without noticing them, making her way further into the Woods.

Joshua sighed in relief once the witch had disappeared… right up until he opened the shutters on his dark lantern again, and illuminated one of Florian's notches on the tree they'd been hiding behind.

The arrow was pointing in the same direction that the witch had gone… which meant that she most likely knew about the tower, and the maiden living in it.

_Fantastic_, Joshua thought sourly.

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Taking care to remain concealed, Joshua and Florian made their way through the darkened woods, following after the witch. Joshua had no intentions whatsoever of confronting the woman, and would rather have returned to the castle, but Florian was insistent that they visit the tower. So they had proceeded, but with extreme caution.

After walking for another twenty minutes or so, the two men came to a stop at the edge of the familiar clearing. The massive shape of the tower loomed over them, ominous in the moonlight.

The witch was walking up to the base of the tower; she paused about ten feet back from the building and looked up, at the windows high above. From the windows, which currently emitted the orange glow of firelight, the familiar song echoed down.

"Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah…"

The witch sighed audibly in delight, leaning on her staff as she stopped to listen. After a few seconds, though, she snapped out of her momentary trance, and pulled back her hood to reveal her shoulder-length gray hair. "Rapunzel?" she called, in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Rapunzel, let down your hair to me!"

Joshua's eyes widened, and he glanced up at the window in surprise.

_Rapunzel_, he mused. _So that's her name. It seems fitting, somehow. But what on earth does this woman mean, 'let down your hair to me'?_

The maiden high above didn't seem to have heard the witch's call, and she continued singing the same wordless tune.

The witch frowned. "R…Rapunzel?" she called again, waving an arm in the air. "Rapunzel?"

After a long moment, with no response save the same singing, the witch appeared to get fed up; she stomped her foot and yelled, "_Rapunzel!_"

This time, she received a reaction; the singing stopped immediately, and a head appeared at the window. Due to the darkness of the night and the effect of the firelight within the tower room, however, the figure was only visible as a silhouette.

"Let down your hair to me!" the witch finished, once again using her gentle, sugary-sweet tones.

The figure vanished from the window; a moment later, something else appeared. A long, thick object – a ladder, perhaps – emerged from the window, descending the side of the tower and uncoiling as it fell.

Joshua stared in amazement as the end of the object reached the ground. It was, undeniably, an enormous length of hair – blonde, a shade as yellow as corn – that had stretched all the way from the window to the ground.

"Is that really her _hair?_" Joshua whispered under his breath, so quietly that only Florian heard him. The Prince nodded fractionally, but his gaze did not waver from the sight in front of him.

Taking a firm grip on the hair, the witch actually began to climb it, making her way skillfully upwards with an agility that her physical appearance and apparent age should not possibly have allowed. Within a matter of minutes, she had reached the top of the tower, and clambered through the window; afterwards, the hair was swiftly withdrawn, hauled back up and pulled back through the window.

With the scene quiet again, Florian finally stood up, walking forwards into the clearing. Joshua followed close behind him, and the two men looked up at the lights of the window high above them.

"Rapunzel," Florian said softly, as if he was permanently imprinting the name upon his mind. "Rapunzel; such a strange name." He smiled. "Strange, but beautiful; and fit for a Prince." He glanced to Joshua. "Take note of this," he instructed.

An idea occurred to Joshua; a fairly simple method of getting Florian in contact with the girl, without any unnecessary complications.

"Perhaps," he suggested, "tomorrow, before that horrible witch arrives, you could stand before her window, and ask her to let down her hair to you."

Florian was silent for a moment. "Tomorrow," he declared, "before that horrible witch arrives, I will stand before her window, and ask her to let down her hair to me!" He nodded and grinned in satisfaction, and then, beckoning Joshua to follow him, he turned and walked away into the Woods, heading back towards the castle. "Come; the Festival is far from over, and my brother will notice our absences eventually."

Joshua followed him, muttering, "Why me?" under his breath.

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_AN: And here we are again. Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been very busy lately. I hope this chapter made up for it!_

_I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but this was a pretty short scene in the play, so there really wasn't that much I could fit into it. Next chapter should be longer, though._

_Shoutout to Qwert Poiuy for reviewing, I really appreciate the feedback! :)_

_Next chapter, we return to Malcolm, Philip and Cinderella at the Festival, and Malcolm is caught up in a complicated situation… stay tuned!_

_As always, I tremendously appreciate getting feedback on my work, so if anyone has a comment or question regarding this chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please)._

_See you all next time!_

_Review Q&amp;A:_

_**Q:** I thought making Malcolm attracted to Cinderella as well was a very interesting touch. I personally would never have thought of it, but it makes total sense. I can't wait to see how Malcolm ends up dealing with it!_

_**A:** Yeah, I figured it would make sense, and it would explain a lot of Malcolm's actions over the course of the play. Malcolm's reaction to Cinderella is fairly similar to the reaction that Prince Philip has; the biggest difference is that Philip, being a prince, has no fear whatsoever of acting on his attraction to Cinderella. Indeed, we will have to see how Malcolm ends up dealing with it; it may not turn out in the way you'd expect!_


	6. The Last Dance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Into the Woods.**

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_A/N: Okay, first off, I just wanted to say that I'm SO sorry this took so long to update: I've been really busy with schoolwork and other stories, plus I'd been having some serious writer's block with this chapter, but I think it ultimately turned out fairly well, and it should take me **much** less time to finish the next chapter. In the meantime, please do let me know what you guys think of this one!_

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**Chapter 6 – The Last Dance**

Malcolm spent the remainder of the evening seated dejectedly at the bar, sipping his drink and watching as Philip and the maiden in the ball gown danced at the center of the room. The girl had appeared confused at first, as if she'd never danced before, but she had gotten the hang of it fairly quickly.

As for Malcolm, his mood hadn't improved since the couple had begun dancing. In fact, it had worsened.

Hours passed, and still the dancing continued. Joshua and Florian were still conspicuously absent, but Malcolm didn't bother trying to find out where they had gone.

Finally, the celebration began winding down towards its conclusion. The night's revelries would be ending soon, and the guests were beginning to depart for their homes. The Festival would continue the following evening, but for now it seemed that the atmosphere was growing more peaceful.

As Malcolm downed the last of his wine, he heard an all-too-familiar voice calling his name.

"Malcolm!"

Turning, Malcolm's eyes fell upon Prince Philip, who was approaching him through the crowd. The maiden in the golden ball gown was following Philip nervously.

"I am glad to see you enjoying the Festival," Philip said with a smile. Stepping closer to Malcolm, he lowered his voice. "I need you to stay here with this maiden until I return. It will only take a few minutes; I must introduce her to my father, and he has already gone upstairs. So until I have brought him back, keep her here. Do you understand?"

Malcolm nodded numbly.

"Excellent," Philip said with a smile, clapping Malcolm on the shoulder and turning to face the maiden. "My lady, would you excuse me for a moment? My steward will keep you company until I return."

The maiden nodded slowly. "Very well," she said. This was the first time Malcolm had heard her speak up close; her voice was high-pitched and lilting, almost musical.

Philip smiled, kissed her hand with a graceful bow, and strode off through the crowd of guests towards the grand staircase, leaving Malcolm alone with the maiden.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

"I do apologize for that," Malcolm said to break the silence, indicating the departing prince with a wave of one hand. "He does this sort of thing all the time, constantly dashing about. He means well, though." He smiled faintly. "My best guess is that he wants you to meet his father, the King, so he's gone off to fetch him."

For a moment, a flash of what looked almost like panic passed over the maiden's face; then it was gone, and she smiled. "I can understand that," she remarked. "I do wish he hadn't left before the last dance, though."

As if her words had summoned it, the musicians changed notes, playing a slower song. Malcolm recognized it instantly; it was the same song that played at all of the Festivals for the last dance of the evening.

"I love this song," the maiden said wistfully, glancing back at the area in the center of the room, where most of the remaining guests were dancing.

"As do I," Malcolm replied. "I only ever hear it at Festivals."

For another few seconds, they stood together, watching the dance.

"This may seem somewhat inappropriate," Malcolm said softly, "but… would you like to dance?"

The maiden turned to face him, appearing startled. After a moment, though, she nodded. "Yes… yes, I would."

Standing, Malcolm offered her his arm. "Then, by all means, allow me."

With a faint smile, she took his arm, and Malcolm led her onto the dance floor.

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Their dance was much less impressive than the dances that the maiden had shared with Philip over the course of the evening, of course: Malcolm had some experience with dancing, but Philip was much more skilled than he was.

While it might be less visually impressive, they both adjusted rather quickly. As the song continued to play, Malcolm managed to relax, and actually started to enjoy himself. He was under no illusions regarding the fact that he had no prospects whatsoever with this maiden, but he still intended to enjoy himself as much as he could.

"So," he inquired as they twirled gracefully about the room, "what brings you to the castle? I cannot remember ever seeing you before."

"Well," the maiden said shyly, "this is actually my first Festival. I've always wanted to go, ever since I was a little girl, but I was never allowed."

"Understandable." Malcolm smiled faintly, despite his attempts to maintain a professional air. "And I trust this one has lived up to your expectations?"

"Oh, yes," she replied, before blushing. "I mean… it's everything I imagined it would be."

"And more, I'm sure." He raised an eyebrow. "After all, it's not every day that a maiden who's never been to a Festival before gets to spend the entire evening dancing with a Prince."

She chuckled, some embarrassment in her voice. "Yes," she admitted. "Although…" Her voice trailed off.

Malcolm blinked questioningly. "'Although…' what?" He quickly shook his head, coming back to his senses and regaining his composure. "My apologies, my lady: I did not mean to intrude."

The maiden smiled. "No, no, it's quite all right." She looked down. "It's simply that… the Prince doesn't really seem to be the talking type. He didn't say much to me while we were dancing."

"To be fair, Prince Philip has always been the less verbose of the two Princes," he explained. "His brother Florian has always been much more of a talker, especially at social functions or around maidens such as yourself." Glancing around the room, he frowned. "Oddly enough, though, I haven't seen him around this evening. I imagine he must have some important business to attend to elsewhere."

The maiden nodded, but her mind seemed elsewhere.

"If I may say so, my lady, you do look quite lovely," Malcolm offered. "That ball gown is simply superb."

The maiden smiled, a faint blush coming to her cheeks. "Thank you, sir," she said quietly.

Malcolm's eyes widened momentarily. "Sadly, I am not a _sir_, my lady," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm just Prince Philip's steward: nothing special. That's been my family's profession for generations: the men in my family always serve as stewards to the royal Princes." He chuckled. "My father, in fact, is the steward to the King himself."

The maiden didn't seem to be listening. Her gaze had shifted to the other side of the room, over his shoulder. Malcolm turned, glancing back and following her line of sight, and found himself looking at three women who were seated at one of the tables. Two were younger, about the same age as the maiden at his side: one was wearing a black ball gown that was elaborately striped in purple and green, and the other was wearing a pleated lavender dress. He recognized them as the two who'd been pursuing Philip around the ballroom earlier. Seated between them was a third woman, older and taller than they were, wearing a black dress with dark green highlights. All three women had elaborately-styled blonde hair, pale skin, and an air of condescension. He disliked them on sight, for their attitudes if nothing else.

"Do you know them, my lady?" Malcolm inquired, refocusing his attention on the maiden.

After a moment, the maiden shook her head. "No," she claimed. However, that hesitation had lasted a little too long to Malcolm's ear: he was quite sure she was not telling the truth. However, he chose to put that aside for now, allowing the music to guide him as the maiden twirled, her hand gently in his.

With a final chime of bells, the dance ended, and the music began to fade away. Malcolm and the maiden came to a halt as the final chorus ebbed, hearing the sounds of applause all around them as the audience voiced their appreciation for the musicians' skill.

Malcolm himself turned, clapping to the bowing musicians. "Enjoying the Festival thus far, I hope," he called over his shoulder to the maiden. "I must ask, though… what is your name?"

When she didn't reply, he turned curiously, to see that she had disappeared.

_What? Where did she…_ He hurriedly scanned the room, looking for her, and finally spotted the gleaming golden dress. She was part of the way across the room, almost to the main doors.

"She's leaving?" he muttered under his breath incredulously. Why? What would induce her to leave before the Festival was complete?

Then he glanced over to the other side of the ballroom, just in time to see Prince Philip enter the room from the grand staircase. The prince's eyes widened when he caught sight of the departing maiden, and he hurried down the stairs, pushing through the crowd towards the main entrance of the ballroom. Malcolm followed suit, ducking through the mass of guests in pursuit of the girl.

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Malcolm burst out through the front doors of the palace, just in time to see the maiden reach the bottom of the front steps. "Wait!" he shouted. She glanced back briefly, and then turned and ran across the courtyard and onto the expansive lawns of the castle.

Malcolm started down the steps after her, but was then almost bowled over as Prince Philip raced past him, rushing down the steps. Before the two men could reach the bottom of the grand steps, however, the maiden had reached the far end of the lawn, and vanished into the dark treeline of the Woods.

Philip skidded to a halt on the edge of the lawns, with Malcolm right behind him. "What happened?" he demanded, rounding on his steward. "I told you to make sure she did not go anywhere!"

"I did not know, sir!" Malcolm protested, dropping to one knee instinctively in supplication. "One moment, she was standing next to me, and the next I looked around and she was gone!" He looked up hesitantly, to see that the Prince was gazing fixedly in the direction of the Woods.

Eventually, Philip came to a decision. "We will go after her," he said firmly. "I will not allow this maiden to slip away without finding out who she is. Round up some men and horses, and get some torches ready. The Woods are large, and at night they are a dark and confusing place. If the maiden has enough time to get away, we might never find her. We begin our search at once!" He smiled faintly, and murmured, "I must find that girl."

Malcolm nodded. "At once, sir." Bowing, he hurried away.

_I can't understand it_, he thought to himself. _What kind of maiden – who's been dreaming of going to a Festival since she was a child, no less – would run out on the celebration before it was concluded, especially if the Prince himself was interested in her? And why on earth would she go into _the Woods_, of all places?_

_All the same, I agree with Philip. _He smiled faintly, despite himself.

"He is right," he whispered under his breath. "I must find that girl."

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_A/N: Hello, everyone! So sorry it's taken me so long to update this story: I promise I'll get the next chapter up much more quickly._

_Also, after having seen the __**Into the Woods**__ movie, I can say that this story will include some aspects from both the movie and the stage version. To that end, I just wanted to confirm that all of the characters here, with the exception of the two Stewards, look exactly like their movie counterparts._

_Just in case anyone's been wondering about the Stewards' physical appearances, I have given some physical descriptions for them in the previous chapters (Chapter 2, in particular, has a pretty thorough description of them both). However, if you'd like an actual face and voice to go with my description, I've decided on which actors I would want to play each of the brothers if they were actually in the movie: Malcolm would be played by Daniel Sharman (who played Isaac Lahey on the TV series **Teen Wolf** and Kol Mikaelson on the TV series **The Originals**), and Joshua would be played by Logan Lerman._

_Shoutouts to mitkit99 and Linh02 for reviewing: you guys are awesome!_

_As always, I love receiving feedback on my work, so, if you guys have any comments or questions regarding this chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please)._

_Next chapter, Malcolm and Philip pursue Cinderella into the Woods, and Florian and Joshua pay another visit to Rapunzel's tower__… stay tuned!_

_See you all next time!_


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